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The first thing Severino hears is his bedroom door opening. The second thing he hears is Ronin's voice.
"Sev? You're gonna work yourself to death, you know?" For the first time in hours, Severino looks away from his screen and looks at something else. Ronin. He's leaning against the door frame, brows furrowed with something that almost looks like worry.
"Yeah. But I need to finish this draft." Severino answers before his eyes are glued back to the screen, looking at words he himself wrote yet barely understands.
"I think.." Ronin stands up straight and walks towards him. "That you need a break."
Ronin, ever the sweetheart, despite being the devil incarnate. He cares, when he wants to.
"No, I need to get this done."
"Come on, darlin'. I know you can barely comprehend what you've written right now. And besides, you really need a wash." Ronin makes a little grimace.
"Fuck you. No. Even if I was finished, I wouldn't..." Severino trails off. There's something unsaid. Ronin spots it, of course he does.
"What, you too exhausted from all that writing?" Luckily for Severino, he doesn't press. Yet.
"Yeah, fuck, I'm so excited to sleep after this." Severino runs his hands through his hair and sighs.
Ronin squints at him, having squatted down next to the desk to get on Severino's eye level. It's scrutinizing. Like he's deciding something.
"No. I'm throwing you in the shower." He says after a beat. "I know you don't want to, darlin'. I know the feeling." And Severino knows he's not talking about being too exhausted to muster up the motivation. And he feels so small, he curls up on himself. He feels like a deer in headlights.
"Hey. Look at me, baby?" Ronin asks. It's not a demand, like his usual bossy self. But Severino feels he has no choice but to obey.
"I'll help you, 'kay? We'll get your hair washed up, at least." And suddenly the tension in Severino's shoulders ease. Ronin doesn't say more. He looks like he's waiting for something. And Severino nods hesitantly, breathing a sigh of relief.
Ronin grins, like he had just won the lottery. He stands up, ruffles Severino's hair and is suddenly hoisting him up into the air, hands firm on Severino's thighs.
"Oh— Holy shit, Ro, I can walk on my own, I'm not a fucking baby!" Severino bats weakly at Ronin's hands.
"You are now. My big baby." Ronin presses a kiss to Severino's shoulders. And he gives in, lets Ronin carry him to the bathroom while cursing him out under his breath, much to the delight of Ronin.
They reach the bathroom door. Ronin asks Severino to open. No, more like demands him. But who is he to deny the devil's commands?
Finally, Ronin sets Severino down on the toilet. He gets a towel ready, dims the lights like he knows this ritual by heart. He does.
"Off." Ronin vaguely gestures to Severino's shirt. Severino makes a little noise of uncertainty and uncomfort. Only then does Ronin let down the demeanor.
"I know. But it's gonna be quick. We just need to get it over with." Ronin thumbs at the hem of Severino's shirt, and he gives in, dragging it off himself like he's unveiling his biggest sin. Ronin is quick to pamper him with kisses and whispered compliments.
"Pretty." He finishes, looking like he has to physically drag himself away from Severino to turn on the water and grab the shampoo bottle.
"Come on." Ronin sounds like he's coaxing a scared animal to come closer. And, he kind of is. Severino realizes he hasn't said a word in several minutes, but he doesn't need to. Ronin is fluent in Severino's body language. He walks closer, looking at the water flow like it's going to burn him.
"Bend over." Ronin tells Severino. He obeys, but not without being an ass.
"Take me out to dinner first." Severino sees out of the corner of his eye how Ronin rolls his eyes but grins, and if you know Ronin Beaufort as well as he does, you could the slightest blush rising to his cheeks.
"I'm gonna rinse now, 'kay?" Ronin doesn't wait for permission, but he's kind enough to warn Severino. Warm water pours down on his scalp and he makes a noise that really reminds himself of a scared animal this time.
Ronin laughs, but he's shushing Severino at the same time. He's carding his fingers through Severino's hair, making sure all of it gets wet.
"Okay. Shampoo time." Ronin informs him as he opens up a bottle and pours out a generous amount on his hand before lathering it up and massaging it gently into Severino's scalp. Severino's brain turns off at the feeling of Ronin's fingers. It was nice to have someone else taking care of him, for once.
But before he could dive any further into his thoughts, Ronin started rinsing Severino's hair from the shampoo, and he got pulled right back into reality.
"You're not gonna pass out on me, are ya?" Ronin asks, probably because Severino became so calm for several moments. Severino shakes his head as best as he can while having his hair washed.
"Good. Hold on for a second." Ronin got up to grab something new, popped the cap open and poured some on his hand again, and he lathered it up in his hands again. This time though, Ronin didn't put it in his roots, it was in his ends. Severino racked his brain for the word he was thinking of. He knew it, he was just blanking.
"Conditioner." Severino says absent-mindedly, like it wasn't meant to be a vocalized thought.
Ronin snorts and laughs. "Yeah, conditioner."
"I was trying to remember the word." Severino retorts.
"Congratulations, you got it, you want a gold-fucking-star?" Ronin teases. Before Severino can answer, Ronin starts washing out said conditioner and his brain turns off once more. His mind feels like static, but in a nice way. Severino basks in it.
Severino doesn't know how long it's been until Ronin turns off the water and basically throws the towel onto his head. He glares at him, and Ronin only gives a grin back. He finally starts drying his hair off, ruffling it and squeezing out the last water.
"See? All done." Ronin says after Severino has finished drying his hair.
"Yeah. Thank you."
"Yeah... Yeah, 'course, darlin'."
A beat.
"Come on, you need some sleep." He finally says as he lifts Severino up effortlessly once again. (He'd have to talk about eating with Severino sometime too. Not now.)
Severino lays his head on Ronin's shoulder, pressing soft, barely-there kisses to the curve where Ronin's shoulder meets his neck. He feels Ronin shudder and he smiles.
They enter the bedroom once again where Severino's computer has turned off from idling and Ronin almost throws him onto the bed before climbing into it as well. Ronin wraps an arm around Severino at the same time as Severino tangles their legs together, a practice turned into second nature.
Severino's too tired to manage to push words out of his throat, but he bites lightly at where his head lays in between Ronin's head and shoulder before kissing the new mark and snuggling closer. Ronin kisses the top of Severino's head before whispering something close to 'G'night' while Severino finally falls into well-deserved rest.